“I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil. I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” — Deut. 30:15,19.
We come now to the consideration of other Scripture statements in harmony with the conclusion set forth in the preceding articles.
The words here quoted are from Moses to Israel. To appreciate them we must remember that Israel as a people, and all their covenants, sacrifices, etc., had a typical significance.
God knew that they could not obtain life by keeping the Law, no matter how much they would choose to do so, because they, like all others of the fallen race, were weak, depraved through the effect of the “sour grape” of sin which Adam had eaten, and which his children had continued to eat. (Jer. 31:29) Thus, as Paul declares, the law given to Israel could not give them life because of the weakness or depravity of their fallen nature — Rom. 8:3; Heb. 7:19; 10:1-10.
Nevertheless, God foresaw a benefit to them from even an unsuccessful attempt to live perfectly: namely, that it would develop them, as well as show them the need of the better sacrifice (the ransom which our Lord Jesus gave) and a greater deliverer than Moses. And with all this their trial furnished a pattern or shadow of the individual trial insured to the whole world (which Israel typified) and secured by the better sacrifices for sin, which were there prefigured, to be accomplished by the great prophet of whom Moses was but a type.
Thus seeing that the trial for life or death presented to Israel was but typical of the individual trial of the whole world, and its issues of life and death (of eternal life or the Second death), may help some to see that the great thousand-year-day of trial, of which our Lord Jesus has been appointed the Judge, contains the two issues, life and death. All will then be called upon to decide, under that most favorable opportunity, for righteousness and life or sin and death, and a choice must be made. And, although there will be rewards and “stripes” according to the deeds of the present life, as well as according to their conduct under that trial (John 3:19; Matt. 10:42; 11:20-24), the verdict in the end will be in harmony with the choice expressed by the conduct of each during that age of trial.
The second trial, its sentence and its result, are also shown in the words of Moses quoted by Peter (Acts 3:22,23): “A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul [being], which will not hear [obey] that Prophet [and thus choose life] shall be destroyed from among the people.” In few words this calls attention to the world’s great trial, yet future. It shows the great Prophet or Teacher raised up by God to give a new judgment or trial to the condemned race which he has redeemed from the condemnation which came upon it through its progenitor, Adam. It shows, too, the conditions of eternal life to be righteous obedience, and that with the close of that trial some will be judged worthy of that life and some worthy of destruction — the Second death.
Our Lord Jesus, having redeemed all by his perfect and precious sacrifice, is the Head of this great Prophet; and during the Gospel age God has been selecting the members of this Body, who, with Christ Jesus, shall be God’s agents in judging the world. Together they will be that Great Prophet or Teacher promised. “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world?” — 1 Cor. 6:2
The first trial of mankind only, and hence its penalty or curse, the first death, was only upon man. But the second trial is to be much more comprehensive. It will not only be the trial of fallen and imperfect mankind, but it will include every other thing and principle and being out of harmony with Jehovah. “God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing.” (Ecc. 12:14)
The “judgment to come” (Acts 24:25) will include the judgment to condemnation of all false systems — civil, social and religious. These will be judged, condemned and banished early in the Millennial day, with the light of truth causing them to come into disrepute and therefore to pass away. This judgment comes first, in order that the trial of man may proceed unhindered by error, prejudice, etc. It will also include the trial of “the angels that sinned” (2 Peter 2:4) — those angels “which kept not their first estate” (Jude 6) of purity and obedience to God. Thus it is written by the apostle of the members of the Body of the great Prophet and High Priest, who is to be Judge of all — “Know ye not that we [the saints] shall judge angels?” — 1 Cor. 6:3.
This being the case, the condemnation of the Millennial trial (destruction, Second death) will cover a wider range of offenders than the penalty or curse for the sin of Adam, which “passed upon all men” (Rom. 5:12). In a word, the destruction at the close of the trial will be the utter destruction of every being and every thing which will not glorify God and be of use and blessing to His general creation.